Another title for Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid wrap up LaLiga success

The Italian became the first manager to win the championship in each of Europe’s five major leagues.

Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti waves during celebrations after Real Madrid won the Spanish title (AP) (AP)

Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti became the first manager to win the championship in each of Europe’s five major leagues as his side wrapped up a record 35th LaLiga title.

Rodrygo (two), Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema all scored as an understrength team – missing Gareth Bale who was absent for the celebrations with a back spasm – coasted to a 4-0 victory over Espanyol.

Ancelotti had rested the likes of Benzema, Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior with a Champions League semi-final second leg tie at home to Manchester City – in which they trail 4-3 – to come on Wednesday but it had little effect on the outcome.

Spain’s other team in the last four of Europe’s premier competition Villarreal, who face overturning a 2-0 deficit at home to Liverpool in the second leg, suffered a 2-1 defeat at Alaves.

A Mario Hermoso own goal and an Inaki Williams penalty saw Athletic Bilbao beat Atletico Madrid, who missed the chance to move into second.

The Bundesliga’s big two Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both slipped to defeats on the same day.

Champions Bayern lost 3-1 at mid-table Mainz, for whom Jonathan Burkardt and Moussa Niakhate scored before Robert Lewandowski pulled one back with his 34th league goal of the season.

The ninth-placed side were not to be denied, however, and Leandro Barreiro restored their two-goal cushion.

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick for Dortmund but the second-placed side squandered a 3-2 lead against Bochum with nine minutes to go after Jurgen Locadia and Milos Pantovic, from the penalty spot, struck late on to win 4-3.

In Serie A third-placed Napoli closed the gap to leaders AC Milan to four points with a 6-1 demolition of Sassuolo, having raced into a 4-0 lead inside 21 minutes.

Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Osimhen, Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens (two) and Amir Rrahmani all scored before Maxime Lopez added an 87th-minute consolation for the visitors.